Hopper and Benn highlight Day One of Victor Lopez Classic
Megan Hopper and Joseph Benn claimed victories in their respective events to headline the Aggies as the Texas A&M men’s and women’s track & field team wrapped up day one of the Victor Lopez Classic at Holloway Field on Friday. Megan Hopper and Joseph Benn won the women's 3000m steeplechase and the men's 5000m at the Victor Lopez Classic in Houston, Texas on Friday. Hopper won the race with a 43-second personal best and made her the No. 12 performer on the Texas A&M all-time top 12 list. Benn topped the next best runner by 59 seconds, lapping the majority of the field, while Alessio Pirruccio competed in the hammer throw competition, tossing 174-05/53.17m to take eighth place. Nicole Chastain and Katelyn Buckley ran the 5000m, while Colton Colonna took 13th with a time of 15:17.83. At the Raleigh Relays, Julia Abell took 17th in the 3000m and crossed the finish line in 10:44.36.
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HOUSTON, Texas (KBTX) - Megan Hopper and Joseph Benn claimed victories in their respective events to headline the Aggies as the Texas A&M men’s and women’s track & field team wrapped up day one of the Victor Lopez Classic at Holloway Field on Friday.
Megan Hopper won the women’s 3000m steeplechase, taking the lead in the last 800m and crossing the line in 11:18.02, finishing with a five-second gap over the runner-up finisher. Hopper’s time is a 43-second personal best and makes her the No. 12 performer on the Texas A&M all-time top 12 list.
Running the first 10,000m race of his career, Joseph Benn took the lead from the gun and never looked back, going wire-to-wire to win with a time of 31:40.70. Benn topped the next best runner by 59 seconds, lapping the majority of the field. His mark makes him the fifth fastest Aggie performer since 2018.
In the morning session, Alessio Pirruccio competed in the hammer throw competition, tossing 174-05/53.17m to take eighth place.
Deirdre Nelson registered 4:45.21 to finish sixth out of 40 finishers in the women’s 1500m.
Nicole Chastain and Katelyn Buckley ran the 5000m, as Chastain led the Aggie duo across the line in fifth place at 17:51.30. Buckley was close behind, clocking 17:55.99 to take sixth.
Running the men’s 5000m, Colton Colonna took 13th with a time of 15:17.83.
At the Raleigh Relays, Julia Abell took 17th in the 3000m steeplechase, crossing the finish line in 10:44.36.
The Texas A&M men’s and women’s track & field teams return to Holloway field on Saturday to take on day two of the Victor Lopez Classic.
To learn more about Texas A&M Track & Field/Cross Country, log on to 12thMan.com and follow @aggietfxc.